The Paderno-Milan power project was built
simultaneously with Niagara Falls. The generating plant was the same
size as the original Niagara installation – 15,000 horsepower. The
difference between the two projects was that Niagara only transmitted
2000 horsepower to Buffalo, while Paderno transmitted all 15,000
horsepower to Milan, making it the largest power transmission in the
world at the time. Duplicate three-phase lines, each of 9 wires, were
supported on steel towers and ran at 14.5 kV. Special insulators were
designed for the line, many of which were in service until recently.

Paderno Insulator

The line was 30 miles long and went into service in
1897. An excellent descriptive article by Guido Boreani appeared in
Power Line Explorer Journal Vol. II, No. 1